Michelle Williams Wanted to Steal Part of the Yellow Brick Road

We're off to see the wizard.

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Michelle Williams may be known more for her indie roles (My Week With Marilyn, Blue Valentine, Wendy and Lucy), but this year she's playing Glinda the Good Witch in the Wizard of Oz prequel, a big budget movie if there ever was one.

James Franco takes on the role of the future wizard, and Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz also star. Williams said she's used to a smaller, more intimate set, but that director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man) made it feel like a big family.

"I guess because of Sam, it doesn't feel impersonal in any way. Which is always what my fear is making bigger movies—that you don't get to know people. But it doesn't feel alienating in any way," she said.

Williams also acknowledged the cultural significance of L. Frank Baum's classic tale. "I grabbed somebody's arm, and I said, 'Wait a second, stop! We're on the yellow brick road!' I have been thinking about stealing a little piece of the yellow brick road. But how many people get a chance to say that? It's a part of cinema. It goes beyond cinema; it's a part of cultural history."

Although broadway musical Wicked has also explored the Wizard of Oz backstory, it focused on the relationship between Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West. It looks like there's tons more material for Oz the Great and Powerful to cover. Plus, munchkins!

The movie premieres March 8.

RELATED: The 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2013 

[via Buzzsugar]

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